Clinical Pharmacist-Specialty Pharmacy

The Clinical Pharmacist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Clinical Pharmacist is responsible for identifying, preventing, and/or resolving medication related problems; for providing authoritative information to other health care professionals, patients, and the public; and for assuring that the informational, clinical, and drug distribution components of pharmacy services function as an integrated system to provide patient centered care to the patients and staff of Northwestern Medicine.

The mission of the Department of Pharmacy is to deliver the safest, highest quality, most effective and efficient patient care while developing the best people, advancing research, and integrating pharmacy services to successfully coordinate care across the Northwestern Medicine enterprise.

The vision of the Department of Pharmacy is to be a recognized as a national leader in advancing the pharmacy enterprise through excellence, innovation, education and research.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for following all NM medicine Best Practice Procedures
• Transfer prescriptions into and out of pharmacy with appropriate documentation
• Receive, verify, obtain, and document refill authorizations and accurately fill prescriptions
• Use good professional judgment in the dispensing of medications
• Comply with all local, state, and federal regulations regarding mandatory consultations on prescription and OTC drugs
• Answer phone calls in an expedient and courteous manner using appropriate greeting and identification
• Perform final audit on prescriptions filled by technicians
• Supervise ancillary personnel, students, and technicians
• Complete incident reports for prescription errors within 24 hours of notification of error
• Assist in maintaining a clean and professional pharmacy
• Assist with the maintaining of pharmacy computers and equipment
• Assist in training other pharmacy personnel
• Teamwork approach to daily work routine which involves the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with peers and management
• Attend all pharmacy staff meetings as required
• Effectively work in respective clinical area outside of specialty pharmacy
• Be able to cross-cover other clinical areas for absences/vacations/work overflow
• Competent knowledge of technician procedure manual
• Process pharmacy sales and complete all signature logs as required
• Perform register functions as needed
• Effectively communicate with co-workers, customers, and other health care professionals
• Assist in inventory management
• Spend at least 5% of time as needed on quality management oversight along with Chair of Quality Committee.
• Chair of Clinical Committee will be Pharmacist Team Lead, Clinical. Team Lead will spend at least 5% on clinical management oversight.
• Understand third party specific requirements for prior authorization and be able to complete prior authorizations
• Understand drug specific Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) requirements and be able to identify what is needed for REMS fulfillment. Complete any forms or authorizations of which you are able to.
• Able to take after hours call on a rotating basis and be able to independently triage or fulfill any patient requirements during this time
• Accurately and appropriately document information in electronic medical record (EMR), ScriptPro®, Therigy® and any other necessary areas
• Must notify organization/department within one business day in the event of an adverse change of one’s licensure or certification status
• Chair of Quality Committee will be Pharmacist Team Lead, Operations. Team Lead will spend at least 5% on quality management oversight.
• Interprets medication orders to ensure safety and proper use of medications and is alert to compatibilities, incompatibilities, medication duplication, medication allergies, and potential medication administration errors. Coordinates the solving of medication related problems between pharmacy, nursing, and prescribers, demonstrating initiative and sound judgment.
• Monitors medication therapy for significant drug-drug, drug-diet, or drug-laboratory test interactions. Intervenes in circumstances of significant interactions, therapeutic duplications, and other occasions where pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetic expertise is warranted.
• Evaluates and documents that the medication(s) selected are appropriate for achieving the desired therapeutic outcome. Communicates potential problems and likely solutions to the prescriber.
• Acts as a consultant in the areas of pharmacokinetics and adverse reactions to physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals. Participates in all therapeutic drug monitoring or intervention programs; adjusting therapy as indicated by patient condition and laboratory results.
• Processes all medication order information into the Electronic Health Record to ensure accuracy of records regarding past, current and future dispensing and charging.
• Maintains a comprehensive pharmacy patient profile. The profile should include age, maturation, weight, allergies, diagnosis, estimated and actual pharmacokinetic parameters, and pertinent information which may affect medication therapy decisions.
• Oversees the packaging labeling, and distribution of medications for all patients and employees according to established policies, procedures, and guidelines.  Monitors the use of scheduled medications on the nursing units and maintains controlled inventories of medication in the dispensing areas.
• Compounds and dispenses pharmaceuticals including sterile products, chemotherapy and parenteral nutrition products.
• Verifies medication orders before delivery to patient care areas and ensures accuracy and completeness. Resolves discrepancies as necessary.
• Reviews all laboratory data for appropriateness of medication use and recommends changes when needed. Including microbial culture and sensitivity data, toxicology, therapeutic drug monitoring, etc.
• Develops and presents orientation, education and training programs for medical, nursing, hospital and pharmacy staff, as well as assisting in the educating of pharmacy students, residents, and fellows.
• Educates patients and their families about specific medications.
• Responds to emergency situations to assist with medication management (e.g. response to cardiac arrests)
• Provides accurate and timely medication information and or teaching to healthcare professionals or patients.
• Maintains the hospital formulary and acts to limit medication usage to formulary items when appropriate
• Documents all clinical activities and interventions performed. Collects data, maintains logs, records and other documentation as required by the department
• Communicates professional knowledge effectively in both oral and written forms to patients and other health professionals.
• Participates in quality improvement and medication use review activities of the department.
• Organizes, prioritizes, and plans workload within given time constraints. Works cooperatively with fellow pharmacists to oversee and direct the activities of the work area, to assign work to technicians, and to assure that the established department objectives are accomplished
• Reviews restocking automated dispensing cabinets (ADC’s) throughout the hospital and resolves any problems.
• Ensures compliance with hazardous waste collection and disposal procedures.
• Maintains proficiency and expertise in area/s of practice through continuous professional development.
• All other job duties as assigned.

Required:

• Current license to practice pharmacy in the State of Illinois
• Bachelor’s Degree in Pharmacy or a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree

Preferred:

• Training and knowledge of specialty areas (neonatology, critical care, oncology, etc.)
• Completion of a pharmacy residency program or equivalent hospital pharmacy experience

Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.